This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to clean up the existing chaos in America's judiciary regarding some states that allow counselors to promote the LGBT ideology to children, but ban them from counseling against that lifestyle choice.
A counselor from Washington state is asking the high court to review – and reverse – a ruling from the far-left 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The case is timed right because appeals courts now have come up with opposing rulings on the issue. Some courts have said that counseling is pure speech, and cannot be outlawed by states under the First Amendment. Others have claimed that such counseling is "behavior," not speech.
A report from Decision Magazine said the case comes from family therapist Brian Tingley of Washington.
That state in 2018 adopted a speech censorship law that controls "conversations" between counselors and minors about "gender identity, sexual behavior, and sexual orientation," the report said.
If it doesn't align with the state's pro-LGBT agenda, it's banned.
Tingley, a counselor who has helped people from his Fircrest practice since 2002, brought the case because his speech now is being restricted by the state.
Decision reported, "The licensed counselor is a Christian and says his 'faith informs [his] views concerning human nature, healthy relationships, and what paths and ways of thinking will enable [his] clients to achieve comfort with themselves and live happy and satisfied lives.'"
He said in his work he counsels individuals and families on conflicts, stress, depression, and sexual orientation.
The report pointed out, "If Tingley chooses to disobey the law and practice conversion therapy by helping clients be more comfortable with their gender or lessen undesired feelings of same-sex attraction, he faces a $5,000 penalty per violation and could even lose his license. However, the law does allow Tingley to push the state’s agenda by encouraging youth to pursue treatments and procedures that could cause permanent sterilization."
Lawyers with the Alliance Defending Freedom are working on his case and asked the high court to hear the case.
"The government can’t control a counselor’s speech. Washington’s counseling censorship law violates freedom of speech and harms counselors as well as clients," said his lawyer, John Bursch.
"Brian has counseled all types of people for more than 20 years, and those conversations are private – certainly not open for the government to censor. The government has no business dictating what personal goals a client can pursue in counseling. We hope the Supreme Court will agree to hear this case and halt the unlawful attempt of Washington state officials to ban someone’s speech simply because they disagree with the viewpoints expressed."
Scotusblog reported that the Supreme Court previously ruled on behalf of free speech in a case involving the National Institute for Family and Life Advocates.
There, the state of California tried to force crisis pregnancy centers to say only the state's chosen to view on the issue of abortion, and the Supreme Court said the state wasn't allowed to do that.
